From her cast iron balcony, Helen writes:
There’s a lot of rubbish written in the dead-tree media about blogging. On the one hand, there’s an obsession with comparing it with journalism (thus setting up a frame in which blogging can never seem worthwhile). Political blogging isn’t journalism. It’s not “breaking news”. Personal blogging isn’t simply a series of trivial comments about “what I had for breakfast”. Blogging is writing. That writing may tend more towards personal, literary, academic, political, parenting, food or craft, but it’s all writing. That is what we practice and we have a lot of fun on the way.
On a related note, Mark also recently suggested that the blogging/journalism conversation (or stoush) acts to obscure much of what is actually interesting about the practice of blogging (and presumably if a lot of bloggers actually wanted to be journalists, not being shrinking violets and being generally smart cookies, they’d have done that), particularly insofar as it avoids all sorts of conversations being dominated by “white blokes in suits”. So, as Helen suggests, if you want to read something sensible in the dead tree media about blogging, read this piece written by… a blogger. Elissa Baxter riffs off some research into blogging and happiness, and interviews a range of Oz bloggers, including Helen herself and our own Suze, about why they blog and what they get out of it.
Elsewhere: More from Lauredhel at Hoyden and Suze at Personal Political.
Thanks for the mention Kim, and “Gah” to the stupidity of the Blairs and RWDBs quoted above. They must find you threatening or something, they’re certainly obsessed. The article didn’t touch on some of the elements who make the blogosphere a shriller and nastier place at times, which was probably a good thing.
Pleasure, Helen!
The interesting thing about the less pleasant aspects of the blogosphere is that they’re not really part of it any more - incorporated hook, line and sinker into the News Limited machine along with Timmeh. I don’t presume to judge Blair, but surely all the wingnuts who contribute to his Daily Terror blog should be aware that their only real function is to earn revenue for the site. They’re effectively donating their labour to News Limited. Unless you take the view that they’re contributing to profound debates in the public sphere out of selfless altruism, that is…
AFAIK Tim offered no explanation for why he was moving his blog to a large bureaucratic tight-arsed MSM operation and none of his regulars asked why.
“Nothing to see here. Form an orderly queue and move along.”
“But Tim will still leave a chocolate mint on my pillow won’t he?”
“All inquiries to the management in writing. Move along.”
Well, let’s talk about how fabulous Helen and Suze and the Hoyden folks are, in the spirit of the article, and leave Timmeh to the tender ministrations of his fan club members.
In other words, I’m more interested here in hearing why people like blogging and what they like about blogs.
“…and what they like about blogs.”
Bitching about other blogs. And of course pina coladas and getting caught in the rain.
Actually I’m just here for the chicks. Et tu?
Retro me, Satanas!
Ive been doing it a few months now, and essentially, I dont really like blogging that much (as in writing the posts). But I do enjoy the afterglow. Seeing my peculiar obsessions online, getting the occasional comment, yabbering with visitors, checking which new country is on my blog um measuring thingy. etc.
But if you mean other people’s blogs - well, yes. Its a good pace, you know. Chat rooms circa 2000 (before they were invaded by pr0n ads - I never bother with the whole genre now) were too rapid to reflect; and all other “participatory media” too slow.
After 2 years commenting regularly on RTS, i’m outa there. It was fun, a great opportunity to express, vent, show movie/music clips…well ya know the deal. I thank Tim for that opportunity. Hope he got somethin’ out of it too. But I don’t do blogs that advertise for “bomb bomb bomb Iran” McCain…considering the time spent trying to put out the Repugnant fire. It was enuff w/ Tim D. heading over to News Ltd, I bit my lip then & went on TRUST…but you can only tolerate so much.
At least others will be able to get a word in edge-wise over there…:)
Anyway, this bear feels like a camel w/ a real sore back tonite. Still, least i’ve got enuff straws to make drinking a higher than the sun experience. Paw paw ointment might come in handy. And a refreshing, long sleep.
I reckon most influential bloggers are racing for the corporate jobs & ads…tryin’ to find the security & moolah before the big doors close & the political turncoat puppets give the thumbs down & demand the pest controllers pump in the gas (sarin perhaps?…bloody militaristic Yanks!) to kill off the last vestiges of the independent blogosphere, just in time to bring in the new corporate aristocratic rule.
Watchin’ them American soldiers on July 4th all clumped together in Iraq under a massive flag w/ Roman-like pillars in background got me thinkin’ of the Nuremberg Rallys. Scary stuff.
I’m searching for FRESH AIR. And moving forward.
N’
Huh, nasking? RTS supporting McCain? Did I miss something?
For your paws?
I like blogging because I like steep learning curves, and blogging has put me on a steep learning curve about what everybody else is really thinking. Particularly right-wingers, blokes, and anyone more than twenty years younger than me.
Apropos of which, I know a number of people around my age who have kids in their teens or twenties, and it’s clear to me from the way they talk about their kids that they’ve never looked at their MySpace or Facebook pages — almost certainly because they don’t know they have them — and really don’t know their kids at all.
Hmmm…. What’s ‘RTS’?
Road to Surfdom.
“RTS supporting McCain? Did I miss something?”
The ads on there right now Kim. My wife just viewed it. If you click on it it goes here:
http://www.johnmccain.com/landing/a2.htm?s=google&t=creative1a
As Tim seems to be out of his office maybe he didn’t know. But it’s an insult to those of us who have fought so hard against the Repugs & their Bush clones.
Nasking - you’re referring to a Google ad, aren’t you? Surely you know that they operate very loosely on keywords and something contrary to the blog itself will inevitably come up. viz. the ridiculous ads that come up on feminist blogs (example du jour: Feministe and the American Apparel “slim slack” ad up now.
The ads-versus-no-ads dilemma is one that we can afford to be snooty about Nask, because we don’t have that much traffic.
Oh, ok, nasking, that’s a Google ad, I take it. They wouldn’t have much choice with that - in the sense that the Google algorithm looks for words used in the text and matches them with an ad - so it’s probably appearing because someone wrote a post criticising McCain. They’d be better off going with some other form of advertising, if they want to have advertising at all, but its appearance isn’t because of a choice made by a human (except to take Google ads in the first place) but by a Google bot.
Crossed with Helen.
Helen, you could talk to Graham Young about joining our ads package - Troppo also takes the ads OLO sources. Contact Graham via OLO for details.
“The ads-versus-no-ads dilemma is one that we can afford to be snooty about Nask, because we don’t have that much traffic.”
Then what’s the point of it all Helen?
When the Brits were attempting to undermine the NAZI regime do you think they weren’t concerned about Goebbel’s propaganda? If this is all about generating money then to heck w/ the whole venture as far as I’m concerned. These are freakin’ war criminals & McCain has sided w/ them. Nothing to do w/ being “snooty”. I’ve donated. I’ve offered up ideas. I’ve paid my dues Helen. And that’s how I see it. I don’t post where Neo-Cons & Neo-Nazis advertise. Full stop.
I give Tim credit for Road to Surfdom…but this is it for me. It’s been one thing after another since Tim Dunlop entered the Murdoch camp. I don’t know what kind of pressure he’s under…why he he chose to work for that organisation. I’d defended him to the hilt. Given him the benefit of the doubt. But I’ve had it. Tim’s a swell guy…but some of the people he works for aren’t. Big time.
I’ll send you a donation soon Mark et al.
I understand your points Kim. And I agree w/ “They’d be better off going with some other form of advertising, if they want to have advertising at all”
As for:
“but its appearance isn’t because of a choice made by a human (except to take Google ads in the first place) but by a Google bot.”
Exactly
Remembering that this thread is meant to be about nice things about blogging, I’ll leave Helen to answer those points, nasking, if she wants to.
What actually happens in real life is that people look at the ads and rooooolll their eyes, for the most part, thinking “isn’t that funny/horrendous how Google put an ad up which is COMPLETELY at cross purposes with the blog”.
As someone who still consumes a lot of dead-tree media I guess I’m a bit blase about ads as background noise, even in respectable-type fora such as the Monthly and SBS (although I’m often a bit gobsmacked as to some of the ads I see in the Monthly - I’d never be able to afford the lifestyle they sell!)
If anyone’s actually swayed towards McCain because of a Google ad on RTS they’d have to be pretty stupid, in which case they’re probably already voting for him anyway
“If anyone’s actually swayed towards McCain because of a Google ad on RTS they’d have to be pretty stupid, in which case they’re probably already voting for him anyway”
RTS has American visitors Helen. The election result could be on a knife’s edge. Think Gore vs. Bush. Think of the Dem Hawks letting the Busheviks get away w/ murder due to their allegiances outside of America. Plenty of American voters are swaying, sitting on the fence, particularly due to the IRAN-related fear-mongering right now…& the explosions in Pakistan. They’re not sure of the value of the war…not sure if the invasion was valid…they’re looking for alternative views…& in the process could hit a link that sucks them down the war-mongers hole.
Offsetting the PROPAGANDA is hard work…why let down the side by not shoring up your defences?
MONEY MAKES THE WORLD GO AROUND
It should be about more than that at times like these.
BTW, didn’t realise Helen’s ‘cast iron balcony’ blog was being promoted. I was responding to the News Ltd comments above.
Congrats Helen. But I thought your blog worthwhile before The Age piece.
Guess it’s a kind of ‘coming out’ eh Helen…:)
Positives of blogging? How about accidentally derailing threads and not getting sacked for it…;)…yikes. This bear’s on a uni-cycle and peddling away furiously before Helen gets back. Them non-manly berry pies keep me pumping all day long.
What madness is this Nasking? An entire post without using CAPITALS TO MAKE YOUR POINT.
Have you SOLD OUT to the MURDOCH PRESS? Have you become a MINION of their EVIL schemes?
We should be TOLD!
Nice! This is nice thread!!!! NICE!
Kim, it’s nice (well much better than nice) that you are back. That’s enough for me.
Thanks, GregM!
Only back fleetingly though - on holidays from tomorrow - heading up north to sit on the beach and catch some winter sun!
Helens bit in The Age where she goes it’s all about the “sink or swim” absolutely nails it.
Blogging is like arguing with and against the sum total of human knowledge - get it wrong, it’s pointed out instantly. So it ends up pushing your mind further than you may have ordinarily pushed it were you just doing a bit of navel gazing over the same issue.
And it does seem to drive you to become a better writer, whether it’s just the little things like refining clarity, through to working out how to modify the humour you would naturally use verbally so that it works with the written word.
It hasnt improved my spelling - but I’ve only been doing this for 14 months… maybe that bit comes later!
The weirdest thing I’ve ever experienced with blogging was sitting in a cafe in Brisbane down near the Parliament last year, listening to a group of about 6 people at the table next to me spend half an hour talking about my blog during the election campaign.
It was quite creepy!
Actually, that’s not quite true. The weirdest thing I’ve ever experienced blogging was a family member (another political tragic) sending me a link to my own blog telling me that I absolutely must read it.
That made for a funny conversation.
Nice that both of youse are here, Kim & GregM
cheerio
Thanks for the niceness, Ambi!
mon plasir: a bientot - apres la plage belle et le soleil
au ‘voir
sacre bleu!
*plaisir*
Possum @ 26.
I concur with the family member. You really should read that blog they recommended. It’s grouse!
“An entire post without using CAPITALS TO MAKE YOUR POINT.”
Excuse-BLOODY-moi…:)…oh no, that’s got me thinkin’ of planes, trains & Bloody Marys. Tabasco, vodka, lemon juice, worcester, pepper & you say tomato, I say toomato juice…& a celery stick for the missus to chew on.
Nuther good thing about blogging…ya don’t feel the need to turn around & ask “where the f*ck are you?” Well, not most of the time. Poor, brave Helen Thomas. She’s an INSPIRATION.
P.S. I reckon Gandhi should be forgiven. He’d certainly speak up w/ Helen Thomas. Like a few of us would…did. Burp.
Can relate to the speling bit Possum Comitatus…back to my drink & music vid…coming soon: amateur night & the anti-war song.
N’
Oh…welcome back Kim…welcome back, welcome back, weeeelcome back.
Yer anudder good thing about posting on the blogs. I bet Timbo Gargoyle has smelly feet anyway.